Ms & Misunderstood
by genevieveyoung
Summary: Lily makes frequent trips to a coffee shop called The Brew. She meets a guy she calls Specs and teaches him a lesson


**Hello everyone! Happy early Thanksgiving to all Americans (and Happy Thursday the 24th to anyone who's not). I just have a few PSAs...**

 **1\. This is not historically accurate. The story takes place in the 70s, and everything I mentions - publications, political ideas, references - all are real/happened/exist, but I did the _minimum_ amount of research into all of this stuff. I read maybe one article about each reference or maybe a description, but I am not deeply knowledgable about any of my references. So please don't take this as solid truth **

**2\. This story was inspired by the new Amazon Video show, Good Girls Revolt, which is amazing! So I highly recommend watching it. Especially if you're a feminist ;)**

 **Which brings me to:**

 **3\. So, I'm an American, and I did vote in the recent election, and I'll admit, I'm not happy with the outcome. I attend college in a big city, so I've been experiencing a lot of the turmoil and conflict people have been feeling, and I've been online, reading the posts people made the day after the election, and I'll tell you, it absolutely breaks my heart. Not that we have a racist, sexist bigot for a president (which sucks serious ass), but mainly because people are so scared and feel so unwelcome.**

 **What I really want to say is that it's okay to be afraid, or angry, or hurt. It's also okay to be happy, or trying to look at the situation in a good light. We're all going to handle this differently. So please please please do not ever be afraid to speak and feel what you feel and think. Do not let this set back keep you from being who you want to be. I'm just as angry and sad and scared as anyone, but I refuse to let this keep me down. I'm not saying that I view the situation in a bright light, but I'm viewing it as a need for us to all stick together and support one another.**

 **And if anyone has any complaints or concerns or just wants to vent, please feel free to PM me or post a comment.**

 **So, after that looooonnnnngggg introduction, here's the story. Hope you all enjoy.**

 **xoxo Evie**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. All credit goes to the wonderful JKR**

* * *

1.

Lily has always had a weak spot for cafés. She loves the smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked treats just out of the oven. She loves the music that's always playing from record players. And she loves the eclectic mix of college students, businesspeople, and housewives.

Her current favorite is The Brew. It's a small space located in an old textile factory. There is a large bar right when you walk in the front door lined with various coffee brewing machines and a pastry cabinet. There is a chalkboard with daily specials above the old fashioned cash register. All of the walls, except one, are lined with floor to ceiling bookshelves stuffed with knick-knacks - new and used books, antiques, framed street artist sketches, records. The last wall faces the street and is made up entirely of windows. Select customers, Lily being one of them, are allowed to pick the records that play on the record player. Currently, "Gimme Shelter" blares through the room. There's a stage near the back for when open mic night comes around and a fireplace that gets lit in the winter. The tables don't match the chairs; neither do the cups and plates.

The Brew is only a few blocks from campus and Lily likes to come here when she needs to get her serious work done. Not only are they open until midnight, but their brew is strong enough to keep the Tasmanian Devil running for eons.

Currently, she's working on her argument paper for Intro to Philosophy. It's only 900 words, but they're the most torturous 900 words she'll ever have to write. She has to explain Plato's argument about Equality, recollection, and the soul from _Phaedo_ , then argue against it, then counter-argue her counterargument. The first day she walked into Intro to Philosophy and saw her professor - a short man with hair as wild as Einstein's and a French accent - she'd had a feeling he was insane. Now, she knows for certain he is.

She lets out a long breath as she leans back in her chair. She picks up her latte and considers her typewritten piece. She has finished her explanation; now she just needs a counterargument and a counter counterargument. How the bloody hell is she supposed to argue against _Plato_?

She rolls her neck in an attempt to work out the kinks. Lily knows she's procrastinating, but she has no idea how to go about this next part. Instead, she decides to do one of her favorite activities: people watch. The people who come to The Brew fascinate her and are particular favorites for her to watch. Like the man in the corner wearing a turleneck. He's reading a Kurt Vonnegut novel while he munches on pumpkin bread. She imagines he's an English teacher at a primary school. He's 30 years old, unmarried, but dating a nurse named Carrie. His name is Albert.

The woman standing in line, checking her lipstick in her compact, that's Clarissa. She's the secretary to the CEO of a mega corporation and she's getting coffee for herself and him. She drinks it black because that's the least amount of calories. The CEO takes it with milk and two sugars.

And the boy by the windows, with the wild dark hair and specs, he's a Poly Sci major. He's currently working on a paper about how Callaghan's plan to battle inflation failed and the effects of the consequential strikes.

The boy looks up as Lily contemplates him. She instantly looks away when his eyes meet hers. She stares resolutely at her coffee mug - the rim is about the size of the saucer beneath it, constellation designs hand painted on the porcelain. She counts out 60 seconds before sneaking a glance out of the corner of her eye. He's still looking at her. She feels her cheeks heat up. She leans on her elbow, letting her long waves fall across her face. When she finally gives into the urge to look over five minutes later, he's turned away, though a small smile plays across his lips.

2.

The line is insane. She has never seen The Brew so busy before. Lily is freaking out; she has only fifteen minutes before class and she _needs_ this latte. She knows she will not be able to function without her daily dose of caffeine.

She taps her foot impatiently, checking her watch and wincing as the minutes tick by. "Next!" calls the cashier, and everyone shifts an inch. Lily lets out a low growl.

"What coffee house only has one cash register? That's just stupid," she mutters. "They're all slugs. Stupid, slow slugs."

She jumps when the sound of deep laughter penetrates her dark thoughts. She looks up to see a boy who looks to be about her age smirking down at her. He's tall, with laughing hazel eyes behind square-rimmed specs, and a wild head of midnight hair. She thinks he looks vaguely familiar. "Not a morning person, huh?"

"What?" she says when she realizes she has been staring at him without saying anything for five seconds longer than acceptable. All she can think is, _Must get caffeine_.

The cashier calls for the next person and the lines move again. Lily looks past the boy - _1,2,3,4… 5 people then me… I'll never make it._ \- and knows she's going to have to skip her cup this morning. _To forgo or not to forgo? That's the question…_ "- not a morning person?"

Lily looks back at the boy again. Is he talking to her? "Huh?" she says, shooting the boy a simultaneously confused and annoyed look. She doesn't have time to make small talk. She needs to calculate how long it would take her to sprint to class without spilling her cup of joe.

The boy cocks a dark eyebrow. "Really, _really_ not a morning person," he says.

"Oh, um, no. Not really," Lily says, getting distracted again as the old lady at the front of the line takes her sweet time digging through her purse for her wallet. Lily looks back at the boy and flushes slightly. "Sorry," she begins. "I'm usually not this rude or distracted… well, maybe distracted… but anyways, yes, not much of a morning person."

"It shows," the boy - no, she can't keep calling him that. She'll call him… Specs! - comments. "I don't think I've ever had to repeat myself three times to a bird before."

Lily cocks an eyebrow. "First time for everything," she replies. The old lady finally moves and the next person steps up. _Businessman. Good. He'll be snappy._ "Hope you've got your order in mind, Specs, because if you don't, I may have to kill you."

Specs eyebrows raise at his new name, and his lips quirk up into a crooked smile. Lily pauses; she finds she kind of likes that smile. "I don't know…" he says, drawing out the three words. "I _was_ thinking of getting a blended drink. Or maybe one of those festive lattes. What is it now? Pumpkin spice?"

And suddenly Lily remembers where she's seen this boy before. "I _knew_ you were a pumpkin spice latte drinker!" she exclaims triumphantly.

Specs starts laughing - a rich deep sound that makes Lily smile. "What?"

Lily feels her cheeks flush. "Nothing," she says quickly. She _really_ needs that cup of coffee now. "Ignore me. Lack of caffeine makes me loopy." The line moves again and Specs is next. "But seriously," Lily says, smile disappearing. "You better know what you want. I have… nine minutes to get to class, and it's already a ten minute walk from here."

"Why are you here then? I mean, if it's such a far walk?" Specs asks.

"I thought we covered this," Lily says, faux exasperated. "Lack of caffeine makes me loopy! And a girl cannot be loopy when facing statistics, especially if she already sucks at statistics."

"Next!" calls the cashier. Lily waits for Specs to move up, but instead, he moves aside.

"What are you doing?" Lily asks, horrified.

Specs chuckles and gestures with his hand for her to move forward. "You go first," he says. "I don't have class for another hour."

Lily hesitates for all of five seconds before beaming at him. "You're absolutely _golden_ , Specs!" She hurries to the counter. "Hey Frank!" she says to the cashier.

"Hey Lil. Usual?" Frank says as Lily nods enthusiastically.

"I'm running a bit late, Frankie baby," Lily says, sticking out her lower lip and making her eyes extra big.

"We got you, Lil," Frank says, pulling a steaming to-go cup off the counter behind him. "Got it ready the second you walked through the door."

"You're an angel Frank!" Lily cries, taking the cup eagerly from him. She tosses a few bills on the counter, checks to make sure the lid is on securely. She spins on her heel, calling over her shoulder. "Keep the change! Buy yourself something special!"

She catches a glimpse of Specs as she sprints towards the door. She flashes him a quick smile. "You're true blue, Specs! Thanks a bunch!"

Lily's out the door before she can see Specs lift one hand to wave goodbye, running the fingers of his other hand through his hair. "See you around, Loopy!"

3.

It's a Saturday, and though Lily has no work to do - homework is reserved for Sundays only - she finds herself at The Brew. It's early November and it's bitterly cold outside.

She sits at her usual table - the one right next to the fireplace - and opens the book she's currently reading. She has her usual latte and a slice of coffee cake in front of her.

Lily has this ability to transport herself into books when she reads. Not literally, of course, but she gets so lost in the sea of ink and paper that everything else disappears. Her roommate, Alice, knows at this point that the only way to get Lily's attention when she's reading is to aggressively tap her. Not even a nuclear bomb could pull the redhead out of her land of make believe.

Lily jumps when she feels someone poke her in the shoulder. A small yelp escapes her and her book slips from her fingers, hitting the rickety wooden table with a soft thud. She looks up to see a face that she's only seen twice, yet would be able to pick out in any crowd. "Oh." Her voice is soft as she looks up at Specs.

"Hello," he says pleasantly, smirking down at her.

"Oh, um, hi," she replies, hands moving to pat down her hair. She'd hastily pulled it back before she left this morning. It's held in place by a set of chopsticks left over from take-out last night. She hasn't washed it in a few days.

"Did you make it on time?" Specs asks, looking amused as he pulls a chair from the next table over and sits down. He straddles the chair, arms resting on top. Lily cocks an eyebrow, but otherwise doesn't comment on the action.

"What do you mean?" she asks, glancing around for something to use as a bookmark. She picks up her fork, licks it clean, and sticks it between the pages. Specs's eyes follow her every movement.

"Well the other morning, you were all distracted because you were late for class. I was just wondering if you made it on time," he says. He flicks a crumb across the table, and watches as it tumbles over the edge.

"Oh," It seems to be all Lily can say this afternoon. "Nah," she gives him a wry smile. "I was ten minutes late," she sighs.

"Damn," Specs says, shaking his head in disappointment, though his smirk ruins the effect. "I gave up my spot in line for no reason."

"That's not true!" Lily cries, wrapping her hands around her mug. The hot liquid inside warms her cool fingertips. "If you hadn't let me cut you, I'd've been _fifteen_ minutes late."

Specs chuckles as the phone behind the counter starts ringing. He doesn't say anything, just contemplates her. Lily blushes, squirming in her chair. Unsure what to do, she slowly opens her book. She glances up at Specs hesitantly, but he's now frowning at Frank who's come over to tell Specs that he has a phone call. She takes it as a sign their conversation is over and starts to read again.

Within seconds, Lily finds herself getting lost in a sea of ink again. "What are you reading?" Specs's voice rings out some time later. Lily jumps, some of the latte she's just lifted to her lips spilling over the rim and onto her fingers. "Sorry," Specs says, passing her a napkin as he takes his seat again.

She sticks the fork back into her book and pushes it across the table to Specs while she dries her fingers. He picks up the book, examines the cover, running his fingers down the spine. He flips it open, skimming a few pages. As he pauses to read a page, she takes the opportunity to examine him.

His hazel eyes move quickly over the page, and he raises a hand to push his specs further up his nose. He's dressed casually in jeans and a navy jumper. It looks like he's never run a brush through his hair, but Lily finds she likes the perpetual messiness. She glances over his shoulder and notices his stuff is over at a table by the window, his books spilling all over the wooden surface, his notebook sitting open to a blank page.

Lily glances back at Specs who is looking at the book cover now. He flips to the back, then to the front again. He looks at Lily, then back down at the book. Finally, he pushes the paperback towards her.

"What?" she says when he doesn't speak and just stares at her instead.

"Nothing," he replies, tapping his fingers against the seat back. He speaks casually, but his eyes are bright and sharp.

Lily narrows hers. "What?" she says, voice taking on a sharpness now.

Specs shrugs. "I just didn't think you were the type to read these kinds of books."

Lily feels a flash of something violent shoot through her limbs. "What does _that_ mean?" Her voice is dangerous, and has taken on an edge. It warns him to think twice before answering her question, but either Specs doesn't get the message or is too dense to understand it.

"Well, isn't she one of those man haters?"

She feels her face start to heat up, and Specs gives her a curious look. "Feminist. Germaine Greer is a _feminist_ ," Lily feels her anger boiling. She's struggling to keep her voice low, to keep her temper contained.

"Exactly! She's one of those crazy women marching in the streets, burning bras, and causing a raucous. You just don't seem-" Specs starts to say.

Lily explodes. "Don't seem like a feminist? Why? Because I wear a bra?" She pulls the neckline of her jumper aside to reveal her bra strap. "Because I'm not outside marching up and down the streets, yelling?" Specs is looking at her peculiarly, but Lily keeps going. "Because I didn't spit in your face the instant you sat down?" She starts to gather her things, and stuff them into her bag.

"Hey! Wait, don't leave. I didn't mean to-" Specs starts again, but Lily cuts him off.

"Being a feminist simply means wanting equality amongst men and women. Wanting women to get the same opportunities and pay as men do. It means taking a patriarchal society and changing it so everyone gets a chance to prove themselves," Lily snatches her book off the table, yanking out the fork and tossing it down with a clatter. People start looking in their direction, but Lily couldn't care less.

"You're overreacting," Specs says, standing up and walking around the table. He bends his head so it's closer to Lily's, his tone hushed. He reaches out to grab her forearm, but Lily draws back before he can.

Lily realizes he's probably right, she is overreacting, but she can't help herself. _Damn._ And she'd been starting to like him. "I refuse to stick around and talk to ignorant fools," she spits.

"Is everything alright?" Frank has come over, and he looks concerned. Frank is glaring at Specs; he's known Lily since her freshman year, and knows the girl usually has a mild temper.

"Sorry Frank," Lily says, glaring fiercely at Specs who looks like he's just been run over by a truck. "Didn't mean to cause a scene. I just can't stand idiots." She gives Frank a strained smile and turns to go. "I'll see you tomorrow."

4.

"Is that him?" Alice asks. She and Lily are sitting in The Brew late on a Thursday, studying for their art history exam the next day.

Ever since Lily returned to the apartment in a sour mood two weeks ago, her roommate has been pestering her about who the boy was. Lily had kept her answers vague, not wanting to think about the argument, especially since every time she thought about it, she had a desire to simultaneously throw a punch at the boy and smile at him.

Lily has been avoiding The Brew like the plague. She found another coffee shop nearby for her morning cup, but it's not nearly as tasty or as strong as The Brew's. When Alice had expressed her desire to study at the coffee shop, Lily had considered resisting, but she knew ultimately that she would need their strong brew to get her through the hours of studying.

She glances up at her roommate, who is tapping her cheek with her pen as she stares at someone over Lily's shoulder. She catches Alice's eye, the brunette nodding her head in that direction. Lily doesn't want to look. "Describe him to me," she says. Alice rolls her eyes but complies with the redhead's request.

"Black shaggy hair, specs, lips that _need_ to be kissed," Alice says, wiggling her eyebrows at Lily. "You didn't tell me he was ridiculously good looking."

Lily rolls her eyes and turns back to her textbook. She highlights a sentence as she replies, "Didn't notice."

"Bullshit," Alice says instantly. She twirls her straw around in her coffee. She stares at Specs for a few seconds longer before sighing heavily. "It's always the attractive ones that turn out to be arses."

Lily chuckles, drinking the last few drops of her latte. "Need a refill?" she asks as she stands up. Alice hands Lily her cup, still contemplating Specs while Lily walks up to the counter. "Hey Frank," she says, smiling at the barista as she places the empty mugs down on the counter. "Two lattes please."

"Lily!" Frank takes the cups, smiling. "Haven't seen you in a while. How have you been functioning without your daily intake?"

Lily shrugs, sticking her hands in the pockets of her jeans. "Classes have been insane with finals coming up, so I've been going to a shop on campus. Nothing compares to yours though." She winks.

Frank puts two steaming cups on the counter in front of Lily. She digs in her pockets for some bills, but he stops her. "On the house."

"Oh, Frankie, I couldn't," she tries to give him the money again.

"You're making up for lost time," Frank says with a wink. "Glad my favorite customer is back."

Lily feels her mood brighten, and she can't help but beam at the barista. She grabs both mugs and turns to walk back to the table. As she does, she catches a pair of hazel eyes. Specs seems to jolt slightly in his seat when he sees her, a hand going instantly to his hair. She ignores him and walks back to her table. She sets the cups down and takes her seat. Alice is flipping through _Ms._ "Is that the new issue?" Lily asks, looking at the cover.

"Yeah. Dorene sent it over as soon as she could," Alice replies, flipping a page. She pulls her mug towards herself and starts to dup sugar into it. Alice's cousin in America sends Alice a copy of the magazine whenever she gets the chance.

"Anything interesting?" Lily asks as she blows on the hot liquid. She knows she really needs to return to studying, but she's far too interested in what's going on with the American movement.

"Some women are suing a magazine for the right to equal employment opportunities," Alice replies. She says it casually, but Lily knows her roommate is bursting with excitement at the idea.

"About time," Lily grumbles just as a throat clears from behind her. She turns around to find Specs looking down at her. She's not as surprised as she feels she should be.

He doesn't speak for a few moments, simply just stares at Lily. She gives him a look, glancing back at Alice, who is watching the scene like it's a Hitchcock movie. "Hi," he says lamely. Lily cocks an eyebrow.

"Hi," she says, her voice cold as ice. When he doesn't say anything for another few minutes, Lily rolls her eyes and turns back around again. She catches Alice's eyes, who has her brows furrowed, like 'Is something wrong with him?'

"Wait," Specs says, sighing heavily and running a hand through his hair again. "I-I wanted to apologize for offending you the other day," he starts. Lily turns around again, looking at him through skeptical eyes. "I didn't mean to sound so… arrogant or ignorant or... whatever. I think women should receive the same opportunities that men do. They-er… you…all- you all, females I mean, deserve equal pay and-and good jobs… Better jobs. Higher jobs…" Lily's heart goes out to the poor boy as he stumbles around his apology. His eyes keep flashing to her face and away, and he's grasping at his hair, pulling so hard it looks like he's trying to rip the dark locks off. He seems to realize he sounds like an idiot, but also seems unable to stop himself.

"Look," Lily cuts him off mid rant. "It's fine," she says. She tones down the iciness in her voice from earlier, though she still makes it clear she's not being friendly. "Apology accepted. You're not the first male to get confused, you won't be the last."

"Oh," his brows furrow together. He doesn't seem too happy with her response. "Right. Um… okay, then. I'll uh… leave you alone then." He stands behind Lily's chair for another moment or two before walking back to his table. Awkwardness hangs in the air until Alice breaks it.

"What the bloody hell was that?" she asks, looking highly amused. "He looked like he was about to wet himself."

Lily bites her lip to try to keep from laughing. She shakes her head as she takes a sip of her coffee. "That's a boy who's never had to apologize in his life. Or at least not often."

Alice glances over Lily's shoulder again. "He won't stop staring at you, Lil," she giggles.

Lily feels her face heat up. "Stop looking at him. We're supposed to be studying."

"But he's so preeeeettttyyyyy," Alice sighs dreamily, leaning on her hand again, and laughing when Lily glares at her.

5.

Lily nearly cries with relief when she finally ducks into The Brew. It's been overcast and cloudy all day, and, of course, started pouring when Lily was halfway to the coffee shop. Without an umbrella on her, she'd gotten soaked. She stands in the doorway to The Brew, dripping all over the place and shivering. "Lily!" Frank cries when he spots her. "A little wet there?" he chuckles.

Lily nods, making her way over to her usual table. She drops her bag on the table and goes to stand in front of the fire, hoping in vain that it'll dry her clothes instantly. "Just a little," she says as Frank places a steaming mug on her table.

"I'll go grab you a towel," he says, giving her a kind smile.

Lily smiles back, picking up the mug and letting it warm her cool fingertips. She takes a sip, and can follow the path the liquid takes down her throat to her stomach. She shivers again as the liquid warms her briefly before turning her attentions to her belongings. She groans as she unzips her sodden bag. Some of the water seems to have seeped through the seams of her bag and gotten her books wet. She pulls out notebooks and her planner, all dripping. She digs out the novel she's currently reading, which thankfully didn't get too wet, and finally the copy of _Ms._ Alice loaned her. The magazine is wet, some of the pages sticking together as Lily tries to flip through it. She sighs, placing it down on the table. She turns at the sound of footsteps.

"Damn. What happened?" Specs asks. Lily blinks; she had been expecting Frank.

"Oh, um, got caught in the rain," Lily mutters when she realizes she's been staring at him. She eyes his warm looking jumper.

"I'd say," he chuckles as Frank finally returns.

"There you go, Lil," Frank says as he wraps a towel around her. It's covered in suspicious stains, but she disregards this, pulling the towel tight around herself.

"Thanks Frank," she gives the barista a grateful smile as he walks away.

She starts to dry herself off. She pulls off her cardigan, hanging it on the chair in front of the fire. She pulls her hair up into a messy bun, using a spare pencil to keep her wet locks in place. She can't do much about her jeans, but she runs the towel over them, absorbing a little of the water. When she looks up again, she realizes Specs is still standing there, staring at her. She pauses, looking down at herself, and suddenly very aware of the fact that she's in a soaked blouse, and that Specs can probably see her bra through the thin fabric. She pulls at the bottom of the shirt to get it unstuck from her skin. Specs meets her eyes again, his pupils slightly dilated - probably from the dim light, Lily thinks. They stare at each other for a moment, when Specs blinks and comes back to himself. "Oh, um, here," he reaches for the hem of his red jumper, pulling it over his head.

"Oh, you don't have to…" Lily's voice drifts off. For a second, the t-shirt underneath clings to the jumper, and reveals the hard lines of his stomach. Lily feels her face flush and looks away quickly, though she immediately wants to look back.

"Here," he says softly, and Lily turns to take the jumper from him.

"Thanks," she says. For a second he doesn't let go of the fabric, and it's like they're connected. But then he lets go, and Lily's left holding the fabric in one hand.

She pauses, unsure what to say, before gesturing towards the bathroom. "Um, I guess I'll go put this on then."

"Okay."

She scurries to the bathroom, feeling like the most awkward person on the planet. She pulls her blouse off and looks at her reflection. "Dear lord!" Her makeup has melted off her face some, so she has dark mascara circles under her eyes. She grabs a tissue and starts to wipe it off. A few strands of hair have fallen loose and have started to kink and curl. She brushes them back as best she can. Her bra is mostly dry, thankfully, and she pulls the jumper over her head. It's incredibly soft, and made from a fine fabric - cashmere maybe. It's still a little warm from Specs's body heat, and it smells _amazing_. She buries her nose in the collar and breathes deeply.

 _Wait a second._ What was she doing? Was she really snuggling into the sweater of a sexist arse? Sure, he'd apologized, but that didn't excuse his earlier words. She glares at herself in the mirror, grabbing her blouse, and rolling her shoulders back before walking out into the cafe again. She looks around for Specs when she exits the bathroom and notices he's taken a seat at her table. He's flipping through _Ms._

She walks over to the table, trying not to flush when he glances up. He grins as he looks her over. "A little big, huh?" he gestures to the jumper.

She shrugs and sits down. She had to roll the sleeves several times to access her hands. "Thank you," she says again as he turns back to the magazine.

"Don't worry about it. Looks better on you anyways," he says, glancing up to grin at her before turning back to the magazine.

Lily contemplates him, taking a sip of her coffee as she watches his eyes skim over each page with interest. "Well?" she asks him after a few minutes.

He looks up from the magazine and shrugs. "I don't know," he starts. He looks up at her cautiously, as though afraid to offend. "Looks like there might be some interesting stuff in here."

Lily nods encouragingly. "Take it. Read an article or two, and you'll see that women just want to be treated as equals. We don't hate men."

He continues to look hesitant. "Okay. I'll give it a try," he says. They both eye each other.

She glances down her mug. There are small ripples in the dark liquid, and she watches the tiny vibrations. She looks back up and meets the his intense hazel gaze. "I should apologize. I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that."

Specs starts to wave her off, but she doesn't let him. "No, really," Lily says, flushing slightly. "I tend to get a bit… _passionate_ about being a feminist. People tend to have such a negative reaction to the word, so I'm used to having to defend myself."

"It isn't a big deal," Specs says, giving her a reassuring smile. "I hadn't intended to sound as offensive as I guess I did. I was just going off of what I've read in the papers."

Lily rolls her eyes. "There's quite the bias there," she grumbles. "But it's something that'll hopefully change. They're starting to make some noise in America." She gestures to the magazine. "Take it, read it. You can report back to me with your thoughts when you're finished. I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again."

Specs grins at that. Lily feels butterflies in her stomach. He has a great smile. She finds herself looking forward to his opinions regarding the magazine. She wonders if they go to the same university, and where he lives, and what his major is. She finds that she has a thousand different questions she wants to ask him, yet she can't understand why or where these desires come from. She only met the bloke a few days ago, and they've only ever either made small talk or been arguing. Still, she feels like Specs would be an interesting guy to talk to.

She jumps as she realizes she still doesn't know his name. She can't keep calling him Specs. She's about to ask his name, when another voice cuts her off before she can begin. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you."

Lily turns in her seat to see a tall, curvy blonde standing behind her. The girl could be Mia Farrow's twin with her pixie cut blonde hair and big brown eyes - more for the big eyes than the color, since Mia's are blue, but Lily shakes off this thought as it's irrelevant. The girl is smiling widely at Specs, her eyes alight with excitement. Lily turns in her seat to look at Specs, who's smiling back at the girl, though Lily thinks it looks a bit pained. "Found me," he responds.

"Ready to study?" the blonde asks. She has an American accent. Lily finds this interesting.

"Yup," Specs replies. He hesitates for a nanosecond before standing up. "Guess I'll… see you around?" he says, looking down at Lily. For a second, she thinks she sees a flash of disappointment in his hazel eyes, but he blinks before she can get a good look.

"I'm here pretty much everyday. Hope you enjoy the magazine," Lily says, trying to keep her voice light and airy even as her throat starts to feel like it's being stuffed full of cotton.

"Oh, right!" Specs says, scooping up the magazine from the table. "Bye." He walks around the table to where the blonde stands, and the two of them walk towards the table he usually sits at.

As they continue moving away, Lily thinks she hears the blonde say, "Where'd your sweater go?" and she just barely holds back a giggle as she sinks down low in her chair.

6.

She anxiously looks around for him the next few times she goes to The Brew, but he's never there. She is hard pressed to hold back the disappointment she feels each time she notices his messy head of hair is missing. Even Frank's constant refills can't make her feel better. After about two weeks of absence, she accepts that she's never going to see Specs again. She tries to convince herself the sinking feeling is because Alice will kill her for giving away their only copy of _Ms._

She's sitting in the coffee shop on a Thursday evening and it has just started snowing. Lily thinks there's nothing more romantic than sitting with a good book, and a warm mug of cocoa whilst watching snow fall. She's wrapped herself in a fuzzy oversized jumper, and her most comfortable pair of jeans, bringing along her reading assignment. She sits at her usual table, engrossed in her novel and occasionally sneaking glances out the window at the falling white puffs when a ruckus pulls her attention.

She turns to the front door, and watches as a group of boys hurry in out of the snow. They're laughing loudly, complaining about the cold, and generally making a lot of noise. Lily rolls her eyes. She always finds it annoying, when people have to come in and be so obnoxious, overtaking even the sound of Fleetwood Mac on the record player. But she finds herself unable to look away from the group. There are four of them, all about her age. The first boy is rather short and chubby with blonde hair. He eyes up the pastry cabinet hungrily. The boy behind him is brushing snow from his hair, his face covered in small scars, as though he constantly gets into street fights. He's shaking his head exasperatedly, as though he wonders what he's doing here. The next boy is complaining rather loudly as he pulls a cap off his head. He has long, dark hair and a handsome face, the kind of boy Lily could picture her father telling her to stay away from. And finally, after him is-

Lily jolts in her seat, her heart thumping hard in her chest as her stomach fills with a warmth. It's Specs. She quickly hides her face behind her book so no one will see her delighted smile. She's instantly aware of the fact that her hair is in a messy bun and she's not wearing any makeup. Her hand inches towards her bag, where his red jumper is. She's been bringing it to the coffee shop in case she saw him again, despite having resigned herself to it not happening.

She lowers her book slightly, peering at the boys over the top. They haven't noticed her yet, and she half hopes they never do. She tries to curl herself into a ball in her seat, hoping it'll make her seem even smaller. She sneakily watches as the quartet walks up to the counter, still talking loudly, and puts in their orders. Frank smiles at Specs, who asks the barista a question. Frank gives the boy a smirk, eyes cutting towards Lily quickly before looking back at Specs. Lily quickly hides behind her book again.

She reaches for her mug, and goes to take a sip, but notices there's nothing left. She's unsure what to do; she can't go up to the counter, but she also needs a refill. She's wondering if she can signal Frank on the sly when the barista takes matter into his own hands. "Lil!" he calls. Lily slowly lowers the book down, feeling her cheeks heat up as the gazes of all four boys turn to her. She pointedly ignores them, especially the boy with the glasses. "Bout time for a refill, huh?"

"I'm okay," she calls back. She's certain she is even redder.

"Nonsense," Frank waves away her opposition. "Not like you to turn down a cup of coffee." Lily can see mirth in the barista's eyes and she narrows hers in annoyance. She sighs, but stands up, shuffling up to the counter. She continues to ignore the four boys. "There you go," Frank crows as he takes her cup. He reaches over the counter and pets the top of her head. She smacks his hand away.

"Hi there," says a voice Lily has been imagining hearing for weeks. She fights back a shiver and finally turns to look at the boy.

He's even better looking than she remembers. Some strands of his hair are damp from the snow and his cheeks are still flushed from the cool air. His eyes twinkle as he grins down at her with a crooked smile. Lily feels her cheeks color again. "Hi," she replies softly, giving him a shy smile.

"How are you?" he asks, hand lifting to sift through his hair.

"I haven't seen you here in a while," Lily says, and feels her cheeks grow even hotter.

His grins grows. "Miss me?"

"Prongs, how rude of you to not introduce us to your friend," says the pretty boy. He steps up next to Specs and grins at Lily. "Name's Sirius. Sirius Black." He bows to her, taking one of her hands and kissing it. Lily cocks an eyebrow. "Prongs, she's far more beautiful than you described," Sirius chastises his friend.

Specs turns bright red and turns to his friend in annoyance but gets cut off by the other two. "Peter Pettigrew at your service, mi lady," says the short boy, bowing to Lily as well. Lily giggles a bit, biting her lip.

The scarred boy rolls his eyes, offering Lily a kind smile. "Ignores these idiots," he says, offering a hand. "I'm Remus Lupin."

Lily grins at the three boys. "Pleased to meet you gentlemen." She grabs the corner of her jumper and curtsies. Frank comes back with her refilled drink, and Lily takes the mug. "Thanks Frank," she says, then turns to Specs who's watching the scene with something between amusement and horror. "I have your jumper, by the way."

"Why do you have his jumper?" Sirius asks, tone dripping with innuendo.

"Oh, um," Lily feels her cheeks heat again. She curses her genes for making her skin so fair. "I got wet and he-"

"I'm sure you did," Sirius wiggles his eyebrows. Lily feels her whole body flush, and her temper rises. She gives Sirius a dirty look and turns to walk back to her table.

A hand catches her by the elbow, and she turns, still red and glaring. "I'm sorry," Specs says, looking down at her imploringly. "Padfoot is still learning about manners." He turns over his shoulder to glare at his friend, who merely holds up his donut pastry in a toast.

"It's fine. Whatever," Lily says, though her voice has an edge now. She pulls her arm from his grasp and continues back to her table without a backwards glance.

She spends the next thirty minutes alternating between reading her novel, studying for finals, and pointedly ignoring the stares and whispers of the four boys. Finally, she can't take it anymore. She reaches into her bag and pulls out Specs's jumper and marches over to the table. They have their heads bent together, but instantly shut up when they notice Lily. "Here," she says, holding out the jumper to Specs. "It's been washed." She's a bit reluctant to return it. Though she wouldn't admit this to anyone, she had pulled the sweater out a few times and worn it around her apartment just so she could breathe in the warm scent.

"Oh, uh, thanks," Specs says awkwardly, taking the jumper from her. Lily turns to go, but he catches her hand. He holds it for a second, his palm warm and callused, before letting go. "Here." he digs into his backpack and pulls out _Ms._ Lily accepts it without a word and walks back to her own table.

Another few minutes pass and she notices Specs walk past her table on his way to the loo. Their gazes meet for a second and then he's gone. Lily sighs and runs her fingers over the cover of _Ms._ She thumbs through the pages, trying not to picture the hurt look on Specs's face. "Is that the latest issue?"

Lily looks up to see one of Specs's friends. The handsome one with the strange name she can't remember. _It was the name of a star… Orion?_

"You read _Ms._?" Lily asks doubtfully.

The boy shrugs. _Perseus?_ "I shagged an American bird for a few months who used to lug those things around everywhere she went. There were some decent articles, occasionally," he says.

 _Ursa? Sirius? Yes! Sirius._ She watches as he pulls out the chair across from her and sits down. She cocks an eyebrow. "Yes, by all means, sit down," she says sarcastically.

Sirius ignores her, still looking at the magazine. He holds out his hand and Lily passes it to him. He talks as he skims the pages. "Did you hear about the women who filed a lawsuit against _Newsweek_?"

Lily nods enthusiastically. "Of course! They weren't getting equal opportunities as the men were."

Sirius looks up at her, grey eyes analyzing her before turning back to the magazine. "I told James about it and he got all excited. 'Maybe it'll start spreading here too'. His mother works at a law firm and has been trying to get a promotion for years," Sirius shakes his head.

Lily pauses. "Who's James?"

Sirius looks up, sees her confused expression, and bursts out laughing. "I forgot you guys aren't on a first name basis."

Lily considers this. "James… you mean _Specs_?"

Sirius laughs even louder. "Not very original. Specs. Imma start calling him that."

Lily sounds out the name in her head, then mouths it. James. She likes that name. She wonders what it'll taste like on her tongue, sound like in her voice. "You know, it's typically polite to ask for my name too."

"I thought you discovered earlier that I'm not polite," he retorts. Lily frowns as she remembers his earlier innuendo. "Besides, James would throw a fit if I found out your name before he did." Lily feels a zing of excitement go through her, even as an evil smirk spreads across Sirius's face. "So, what is it?"

Lily giggles. "Lily."

"Nice to meet you, _Lily_ ," Sirius puts down the magazine and leans back in his chair, arms behind his head. "Speaking of rudeness, what's your deal?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why do you keep ignoring James only to get pissed that instant he opens his mouth?"

"I do not!" Lily exclaims.

"Yes, you do!" Sirius sits up again. "You're ignoring him now! I make a comment you don't like, and you act all cold to him, and then a few weeks ago, you get pissed at him for not thinking before he opened his damn mouth."

"Don't you _dare_ blame me for that," Lily snarls. Bloody hell! What was wrong with all of these boys, attacking her beliefs. "How can you even blame me for getting upset for what he said? He made sexist, ignorant comments. I thought you supported the cause," she frowns.

"I do," Sirius says, glaring at her. "But you didn't give the bloke a chance to apologize. You just blew up at him and walked out."

"And I apologized for attacking him like that," Lily cries. "But I refuse to apologize for defending my beliefs."

"And I'm not asking you to," says Sirius, much calmer now. "But you're still not giving him a chance to get to know you."

"That's not my fault," Lily says. She can't believe she's having this conversation. She doesn't know how they went from talking about a feminist magazine to talking about James.

"You're not trying very hard," Sirius replies.

Lily starts counting off on her fingers. "1. I didn't know his name, so it's not like I could look him up in the phone book. 2. He has a girlfriend. 3. I've only ever seen him-"

"Wait," Sirius holds up his hands, cutting her off. "What did you say? What was number two?"

Lily pauses. She's been thinking of ways to yell at him for cutting her off, but now she needs to think back on what she said. "Ummm… what? That he has a girlfriend?"

Sirius shakes his head. "No, he doesn't."

"Yes, he does," Lily says in a tone that implies she wasn't born yesterday. "I saw her."

Sirius frowns. "What did she look like?"

Lily thinks back. "Short blonde hair, brown eyes. I don't know, kinda tall." Lily shrugs, trying to ignore a spike of something negative in her stomach when she thinks of the blonde smiling at James.

Sirius contemplates her words, looking thoughtful. She takes a sip of her latte as she watches him. Behind him, James passes by the table. She notices that he glances at her from the corner of his eye, does a double take when he sees Sirius, and hesitates, before walking over. "What's going on here?" he asks, his tone both curious and a little sharp.

Sirius ignores him, and Lily doesn't know what to say. She looks at James and shrugs. He doesn't seem satisfied with that. "Padfoot, what's going on here?"

Sirius waves him off. "Go away, Prongs. I'm trying to talk to Li-" Sirius pauses, eyes flashing up to Lily's. He smirks, and turns back to James. "I'm talking to _Red_ , and you're not invited to the conversation."

James's eyes widen as he looks between the two of them. Lily can't help but giggle a little at his offended expression. "Sorry," she says, shrugging.

James is not having that. "Pads, can I talk to you?"

Sirius waves him off again. "In a minute. I'm almost done here."

When James continues to just stand there, staring at the two of them, Sirius gets annoyed. "I said get! Scoot! You can flirt with her later."

James doesn't look happy about it, but he finally walks back to the table his other two friends are occupying. He keeps looking back at Sirius and Lily almost helplessly, and Lily wishes she could go over and give him a hug.

"Look," She turns her attention back towards Sirius, who is leaning on his forearms, staring at her intently. "That bird he was with, her name is Claire. She's an abroad student who James tutors from time to time. She might be interested in him, but he's talked of nothing but this redheaded bird he met at some obscure coffee shop for weeks. Just… give him a chance, and if he says anything else that's ignorant or sexist, I give you full permission to kick his sorry arse."

Lily giggles, smiling at Sirius as she cocks her head to the side. "You know, you're a bit of an arse yourself, Sirius, but you're a good friend."

Sirius stands up, pushing in the chair. "I'm an even better shag, so if things don't work out with James…."

Lily rolls her eyes. "I'll look you up in the phonebook."

"That's Black. Like the color. Sirius Black." And with a final smirk, he walks back to join his friends.

Lily follows him with her eyes, watching as all four boys lean their heads in and all start talking at once. She waves when the four of them all turn to stare at her, and turns around quickly as she catches James's eye. She picks up her book and pretends to read, all the while sneaking peaks at the messy haired boy out of the corner of her eye. She thinks about what Sirius said, how James was excited at the prospect of his mother getting a chance to move up at work. She wonders if she was too quick to judge the boy, but like she told Sirius, she refuses to apologize for standing up for feminism. Men had their chance in the spotlight; now it was time for them to share it with women.

She's expecting it when James walks over and takes the seat across from her. She looks up at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak.

"So," he swipes a hand through his hair, seemingly unsure what to say. "I don't know what Padfoot said to you, but-"

"I think we should restart," Lily interrupts.

"Restart?"

She nods. "Yes," She grins at him and extends her hand across the table. "I'm Lily Evans, feminist who tends to get defensive when people attacks her beliefs."

He grins back at her, taking her hand in his. "I'm James Potter, ignorant bloke who tends to let his mouth run on. Don't know much about feminism, but willing to learn."

"I think we can arrange that," Lily responds. "Lessons will start… this Saturday at say… around 3:00?"

"Ha! Look at that," his eyes sparkle with excitement as he talks. "It just so happens that I am free at that exact same time."

"Hm. Well fancy that."

He smirks. "Fancy that."

* * *

 **Okay, so forgot to add some of these details up above, so I'm putting them here:**

 **1\. The book Lily is reading in 3 is called _The Female Eunuch_ by Germain Greer (1970) and the description below I took from Barnes & Noble's website. I have not read this book, but for my Philosophy final paper (And in case anyone is wondering, yes, I actually had to write the paper Lily is writing in 1. and it was not fun.) I am reading another feminist book called _Gender Trouble_ by Judith Butler (1990). It's a bit dense and hard to understand at times, but she has some interesting ideas, so check it out if you so wish. **

The publication of Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch in 1970 was a landmark event, raising eyebrows and ire while creating a shock wave of recognition in women around the world with its steadfast assertion that sexual liberation is the key to women's liberation. Today, Greer's searing examination of the oppression of women in contemporary society is both an important historical record of where we've been and a shockingly relevant treatise on what still remains to be achieved.

w/female-eunuch-germaine-greer/1101818280?ean=9780061579530

 **2\. The magazine that Lily and Alice are reading is called _Ms. Magazine_ and one of its founders is Gloria Steinem. The magazine was first published in 1971 as a one shot in _New York_ magazine and it grew from there. It was the first national feminist magazine and it still exists today. Below I pasted the link to their website if anyone wants to look at it. **

/blog/about/

 **3\. In 1. when Lily is contemplating what James is writing about, she mentions some British politics at the time. So, I looked up some stuff on the BBC website, and here's what I got. Basically, James Callaghan, who was the British Labour prime minister from 1976 to 1979, and he tried to get the trade unions to limit pay rises, but the unions said no and this lead to an abundance of strikes. (I mean really, when are people not protesting in the 60s and 70s?) If you'd like to read up on your British politics of the 70s, below is the article I looked at.**

news/magazine-17703483

 **4\. And finally, the lawsuit Lily and Sirius talk about in 5. is based off of real events. This lawsuit is also what the show Good Girls Revolt that I mentioned above is based off of as well. On March 16, 1970, the women of the magazine _Newsweek_ sued their bosses for unbalance in the workplace. Basically, the women were not allowed to be reporters or have positions of management. Once more, I highly recommend watching the show. It is on Amazon Video and is free with prime. It is also based off a book of the same name. Below are links to a, ironically, _Newsweek_ article on the show and the events, as well as to the book. **

w/the-good-girls-revolt-lynn-povich/1111267539?ean=9781610397469

good-girls-revolt-legacy-newsweek-lawsuit-512224

 **I also just feel like pointing out that I am not trying to advertise here or anything. Consider this my works cited.**

 **Okay. I'll leave you all be. Au revoir!**


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